Liquid-feed indicator.



H. KOCQUREK. LIQUID FEEDINDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED OCT-21, 1914.

1 1 60,418, Patefited Nov. 16, 1915.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY KOCOUREK, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIG-NOR TO STEWART-WARNER SPEED-OMETER CORPORATION, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF VIRGINIA.

LIQUID-FEEb INDICATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 16, 1915.

Application filed October 21, 1914. Serial N 0. 867,873.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HEXRY KocoURnK, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Liquid-Feed Indicators,of which the following is a specification, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

The purpose of this invention is to provide an improved device forindicating the flow of a liquid, such as lubricating oil.

It consists in the elements and features of construction shown anddescribed as indicated in the claims.

In the drawings :Figure 1 is a face view of an instrument embodying thisinvention. Fig. 2 is an axial section at the line 22 on Fig. 1. Fig. 3is a transaxial section at the line 33 on Fig. Fig. 1 is a transaxialsection at the line l5 on Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a transaxial section at thesame line as on F ig. 1 looking in the opposite direction. Fig. 6 is aperspective view of the magnet.

The instrument shown in the drawings comprises a casing in the form of acup, 1, of which the bottom is at the forward side of the instrument.The casing further comprises a back-plate, 2, which closes the cavity ofthe cup and which has bosses. 2 and 22, for inlet and outlet of theliquid whose flow is to be indicated, the outlet being as shown ofsomewhat greater diameter than the inlet. From the center of the bottoma boss, 5, projects within the casing and affords one step bearing forthe spindle, 6, of a pivoted member, 3, mounted within the casing,having the other end of its spindle, 8, pivoted in a step bearing formedin a central boss, 2 of the back-plate, 2, said central boss beingaxially recessed so as to spread the two bearings of the spindle, 7, aswidely as possible, that is, to permit such spindle to be as long aspossible within the practicable dimensions of the instrument. A similarreason exists for the formation of the central boss, 5, projecting fromthe bottom of the cup, 1, namely, to space as widely 'as possible thepivot bearings for the spindle, 9, of an index hand, 10, which ismounted outside the cup, that is, in front of the bottom thereof. oneend of the spindle being stepped at the bottom of a deep axial cavityformed exteriorly .in said central boss, 5, the other end of the spindleobtaining bearing in a bracket, 11, secured upon the forward side of thecup and standing within a marginal flange, 12, which projects forwardlyfrom said bottom for positioning a glass, 13, which closes the cavitybounded by said annular boss within which the index hand vibrates. Thepivoted member, 3, carries and comprises a magnet, 15, which 18preferably of the form shown, being in general of the horseshoe orsplit-ring form having its poles close together, the magnet beingmounted at one end of said pivoted member, the opposite end of which issuitably formed to substantially counterbalance the magnet, said magnetbeing thus mount-- ed with its poles both facing toward the bottom orforward wall of the cup or casing, and standing as near thereto asconsistent with the free and easy movement of the parts in view of thefact that the cup cavity will be occupied with the liquid whose flow isbeing measured, and which would tend to retard the pivotal movement ofsaid pivoted member if the same had its forward surface positioned tooclose to the inner surface of the bottom of the cup. Said pivotedmember. 3. comprises two projecting webs, 3 and 3, which arerespectively transaxial and co-axial with respect to the cup cavity orcasing chamber, and which contact respectively at their edges theinterior surface of the circumferential wall of the-cup and the interiorsurface of the back-plate; so that together with said interior wall andback-plate they form a pocket which is closed at one end by anapproximately radial web, 3, extending from the member, 3, to theperipheral wall of the casing chamber. The back-plate has formed upon ita boss, 2 which fits piston-wise in said pocket and which at one endstands directly opposite the liquid inlet boss. 2"; and the liquid inletduct formed through said boss as shown at 16, extends through saidpiston-wise fitting .boss, 2, to the end thereof; and said end of saidpocket-end-closure; and there is thus formed in said circumferentialwall a channel, 20, which constitutes a by-pass around the end of theclosure, 3, for the escape of the liquid past said closure into thecavity of the casing. The channel thus formed is tapered, deepening orwidening along said path of opening movement of the closure, 3. A stoppin, 21, is provided to limit the turning movement of the element, 3,for carrying said pocket end closure away from the end of the boss, :2.A spring, 22, is connected to the back-plate, 2, and to the spindle ofsaid pivoted member, 3, for yieldingly resisting the pocket-openingmovement of the pivoted member.

The operation of this device when the inlet is connected with a sourceof liquid whose flow is to be indicated, is that the pressure of theliquid which is being supplied opens the way for its movement into andthrough the casing by forcing the pocket closure, 3, away from the endof the boss, 2 turning the member, 3, about its pivot, this movementbeing produced against the. resistance of the spring, 22, whichincreases as the turning proceeds, so that the extent of turningmovement produced is an approximately accurate measure of the pressureoperating to produce it; and as such turning proceeds, the availablecross sectional area of the bypass, 20, around the end of the closure,3,

increases, so that the flow of liquid is substantially proportionate tothe angular movement of said pivoted member, 3. This .angular movementof the pivoted memberis indicated by the index hand, 10, which ispositioned so that its tail, 10*, stands normally directly opposite thepoles of the magnet, 15, that is, at the opposite side of the bottom,1", of the cup, 1, from the position of said poles within the cup, sothat the attraction of the magnet for said needle, the latter being ofsteel or iron, or at least having its tail piece composed of steel oriron,

1 causes the tail piece to follow the magnet around as the pivotedelement, 3, turns on its pivot.

If the'tail piece of the index hand had but a single terminal, that tailpiece under the attractionof the magnet might stand at any positionwithin the width of the two poles of the magnet; that is, ifthe tailpiece once became positioned directly opposite the end of one of thepoles, it would follow that pole and remain opposite the same, while ifit had become positioned opposite the end of the other pole it wouldsimilarly follow said other pole. The difi'erence in indication would besuflicient to defeat the accuracy of the information conveyed by theinstrument; and to avoid this, the tail piece of the indicating needleis formed with two pointed terminals, 10 and 10, which are spaced aparta little farther than the disthe distance between the true magneticpolesor foci of the lines of flux emanating from said poles, respectively, asnearly as this can be ascertained. The resulting form of the tail pieceis preferably substantially crescent-shaped, as shown; and with thisform the index hand will always assume the same position with respect tothe magnet, thereby rendering the indication of the instrument accurateas to the angular change of position of the pivoted element, 3, and thecorresponding cross sectional area of the bypass which is available forthe flow of the liquid through the instrument, and consequently accurateas to the rate of flow of the liquid.

It is not designed that this instrument should be large enough, or atleast it need not be large enough, to provide for the entire flow ofliquid which is to be measured. Instead, it is sufficient, and theintended mode of use of the instrument is, that its inlet and outletshall be connected with a shunt circuit leading from and back to themain circuit in which the liquid, lubricating oil or other material isbeing supplied and whose flow is to be measured. The flow in the shuntcircuit, s6 long as that circuit is unobstructed except'bytheinstrument, will be substantially proportional to the flow in themain circuit, and the instrument indicating the How in the shunt circuitaifords the desired information as to the'fact, and substantially as tothe rate, of flow in the main nation with a casingcomprising a chamberhaving a liquid outlet, an element mounted in the chamber for pivotalmovement, and comprising webs which maintain contact with the walls ofthe chamber throughout a limited range of angular movement about thepivot, and which with said walls form a pocket closed at one end, theclosure being a part of said pivoted element; the casing having a ,rigidpart which-protrudes from the wall of said chamber into said pocket andfits substantially piston-Wise in the pocket, said protruding parthaving a duct which forms a liquid inlet into the pocket from theoutside of the casing; said duct opening for discharge in the pocket atthe end of said piston-wise fitting part toward said pocket closure,whereby liquid pressure through said duct tends to turn said pivresistssuch movement, and means by which said movement is indicated outside thechamber.

2. In a liquid feed indicator, in combination with a casing, an elementmounted in the casing for pivotal movement, comprising webs whichmaintain contact with the casing walls throughout a limited range ofangular movement about the pivot, and which with said walls form apocket closed at one end, the closure being a part of the pivotedelement, the casing having a rigid part protruding from the wall thereofinto said pocket and fitting substantially pistonwise therein, said parthaving a duct which forms a liquid inlet into the pocket from theoutside of the casing, said duct opening for discharge in the pocket atthe end of said piston-wise fitting part toward said pocket closure,whereby liquid pressure through said duct tends to turn said pivotedmember in the casing, the casing wall being cut back along the path ofmovement of the closure to form a by-pass around the latter leading outof the pocket into the general cavity of the casing, said by-pass beingtapered and increasing in cross section along the path of movement ofsaid closure away from closed position, means yieldingly resisting theturning of the pivoted member under the liquid pressure, and meansoutside the casing for indicating the extent of movement of said pivotedmember.

3. In combination with a casing having a chamber with a liquid inlet andoutlet, an element pivoted in the casing for being turned about itspivot by the pressure of the liquid forced through the chamber; a magnetcarried by the pivoted element within the chamber; a magneticallysusceptible index hand pivoted outside the chamber coaxially with thepivoted element within the chamber, the magnet having its two polesjuxtaposed, and the index hand having one end provided with two pointedterminals Spaced apart a little more than the distance between themagnet poles.

4. In an instrument for the purpose indicated, in combination with acasing in the form of a cup of which the bottom forms a front of theinstrument, and has an interior boss projecting substantially centrallyfrom the bottom, a cap plate which forms the back of the instrument, amember pivoted within the casing having one of its pivot bearings uponthe end of the boss therein and recessed at the forward side to receivethe boss, and having another pivot bearing in the back plate, liquidinlet and outlet connections leading into the cavity of the casing, saidpivoted element being formed and positioned with respect to said inletand outlet openings so as to be turned about its pivot by the pressureof liquid thereon, and means for yieldingly resisting such turningmovement of the pivoted element, said boss having an axial cavityleading into it from the outside of the bottom of the cup, and an indexhand in the front of said cup having a spindle stepped in the bottom ofsaid last-mentioned axial cavity, and means operatively connecting saidindex hand with said pivoted element.

5. A liquid feed indicator comprising a casing having two chambers, onechamber having an inlet and an outlet for liquid, a member movable aboutan axis in response to the flow of liquid in the chamber, and a magnetmounted to move in unison with said member at one side only of the axis,the other chamber having a transparent wall, a dial, and an index memberof magnetic metal mounted in said chamber to move over said dial inresponse to the movement of the magnet.

6. A liquid feed indicator comprising a liquid-tight chamber having aninlet and an outlet, a member pivotally mounted in the chamber adaptedto turn on its pivot in response to the fiow of liquid through thechamber, a magnet carried by said member having its polesunsymmetrically disposed with respect to the pivot axis, and an indexmember of magnetic metal pivoted outside said chamber to move in unisonwith the magnet inside.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand at Chicago, Illinois,this 20th day of October, 1914.

HENRY KOCOUREK.

Witnesses:

EDNA M. MAOINTOSH, LUCY I. STONE.

